Nokia 8
HMD Global to Update Nokia 6 and 8 Series to Android 9 Pie
HMD Global says it plans to update several of its phones to Android 9 Pie over the next couple of months. The company will boost the Nokia 6.1 and 6.1 Plus to Pie this month. The Nokia 8 and Nokia 8 Sirocco will receive the update in November. HMD's latest device, the Nokia 7.1, which goes on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H later this month, ships with Oreo but will get Pie shortly after release.
Hands On with HMD Global's New Nokia Android Smartphones
HMD Global debuted no fewer than three brand new handsets, including the Nokia 1 with Android Go, at Mobile World Congress this year. The devices range from an $85 entry-level phone to an $800 exercise in design chops. None of these phones support the LTE bands to work in North America, but we took a quick look anyway. Here are our first impressions.
Nokia 8 Now Receiving Android 8.1 from HMD Global
HMD Global has begun to distribute Android 8.1 Oreo to the Nokia 8 smartphone, according to executive Juho Sarvikas. HMD Global makes and markets Android handsets under the Nokia brand. The Nokia 8 is HMD Global's flagship device. It has a 5.3-inch screen, aluminum build, 13-megapixel cameras with Zeiss optics, and a Snapdragon 835 processor. The company released Android 8 to its Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 handsets earlier this year. It indicated that Android 8.1 will arrive for both these devices in the near future.
HMD Global Pushing Oreo to Nokia 8
The Nokia 8 handset is now being updated to Android 8 Oreo, according to HMD Global exec Juho Sarvikas. The company tested Oreo on the Nokia 8 through its Open Beta Labs earlier this year. Sarvikas says the update, now fully certified, is being rolled out to the Nokia 8 over several days. It should reach most users by the end of the week. Sarvikas indicated that HMD Global plans to release Android 8 Oreo in beta to the Nokia 6 and Nokia 5 in the near future.
HMD Global Allowing Nokia 8 Owners to Beta Test Oreo
HMD Global unveiled the Nokia Phones Beta Lab, where it will make pre-release versions of software available to interested testers. The first release is a beta build of Android 8 Oreo, which is being offered to the Nokia 8 smartphone. As expected, the beta software adds notification dots, picture-in-picture, autofill passwords, quicker boot times, and the latest security patch. Nokia 8 owners will need to join the Nokia Phones Beta Lab in order to gain access to Android 8. HMD Global didn't say how long it will test Android 8 on the Nokia 8, nor how soon it might offer Oreo to other handsets. The Nokia 8 is HMD Global's current flagship smartphone. It has a 5.3-inch quad HD display, Snapdragon 835 processor, series 6000 aluminum shell, and 13-megapixel front and rear cameras with Zeiss optics.
Hands On with the Nokia 8
The Nokia 8 is the first flagship phone from the "new Nokia". What separates it from the rest of Nokia's current lineup is the dual-camera system with Zeiss lenses. Zeiss optics were a key feature of old-Nokia phones, so it's nice to see that partnership revived. Not many people have seen the Nokia 8 in person yet, but we managed to snag some hands-on time with it. Read on for our impressions.
HMD Global Intros Nokia 8 Flagship Smartphone
HMD Global, the sole licensee of the Nokia brand, today announced the Nokia 8 flagship Android smartphone. The handset is milled from 6000 series aluminum and polished to a high-gloss finish in black, blue, silver, and copper. The Nokia 8 boasts a 5.3-inch quad HD screen with curved Gorilla Glass 5, and it is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor with 4 or 6 GB of RAM, and 64 or 128 GB of storage (depending on color selection.) All versions support microSD memory cards up to 128 GB. Like many modern flagships, the Nokia 8 adopts a dual-camera configuration with two 13-megapixel cameras on the rear with LED flash. One camera captures full color images and the other captures monochrome images along with depth and contrast information. Both feature Zeiss optics. The front camera has a 13-megapixel sensor, too, with a display-based flash. All three cameras have f/2.0 lenses. The Nokia 8 includes software that allows people to shoot photos and/or video with both the front and rear cameras at the same time. Other specs include a 3.090mAh battery, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, NFC, and Cat 9 LTE. The phone runs Android 7.1 Nougat and costs $700. HMD Global didn't immediately specify where the Nokia 8 will be sold.
